The reference to Athena, goddess of Wisdom and War, is actually a discreet nod to Tarpon Springs and Florida. Tarpon Springs has the highest percentage of Greek-Americans of any city in the US—so a beer with a Greek theme is perfectly at home here. But there’s also a more subtle subtext: the Burrowing Owl, scientific name Athene cunicularia, endangered in most other areas of the country where it once flourished, is not quite endangered in Florida...

This baby has been “cooking” in the bottle, undergoing a tertiary or quaternary fermentation (it was fermented two, possibly three times before leaving the brewery) for over two years now. If your sample has been sitting, cooling for a while after receipt, then it won’t blow up on you when you pop the cork, however, the pressure loss will permit the C02 to come out of solution and the beer will send its froth out of the bottle on its own, looking...

This Belgian pale ale is medium-amber in color with a crème-brûlée toned head. You may notice a hefty amount of sediment in the bottom of the bottle before you pour it. While it's a matter of personal taste, our panel members felt that for this style of beer, it was preferable not to swirl the bottle to rouse the sediment; we left about ¼ inch of beer behind in the bottle to achieve this. But we encourage you to do a side-by-side taste test: one ...

Note the Moorish lions on the label, a reminder of the regional heritage from where this beer is produced. This dark brown, reddish-hued lager presents a creamy, nutty nose, with caramel notes and a mild roasted malt character that is just all around inviting. Expect a creamy backbone and some slightly roasty, caramel notes, with a distinct flavor of dark rum. Look for subtle notes of anise and licorice, and enjoy the clean, caramel finish with l...

420 Extra Pale Ale was first brewed on April 20, 1997, hence the name… We'd bet a nickel and dime that's not the complete reason behind the name, but we can't confirm. We can, however, provide you with a nugget of trivia to impress your friends: the brewery was named after a local creek. This particular beer is a lighter-bodied West Coast style pale ale with aggressive hop character in the aroma, flavor and finish. Look for piney, resinous, grape...

A GABF 2001 Gold Medal winner, this brew yields a prominent aroma of fresh grains with some bready, caramelish notes, maple syrup, hints of coffee, a nutty-note similar to almonds, and just a kiss of spicy, citrusy hops. On the palate, expect a blend of lightly bitter hops, burnt toast, and above all, a rich, sweet, nutty character (think hazelnuts and almonds). There's a ghost note of coffee at the intro to the finish, which gives way to a back-...

A hoppy beer that is not shy about boasting its prowess, much like the Sheriff himself. Pours a burgundy orange color capped by an off-white, thick, sticky head. Expect bigly aromatic hops centered on floral, citrus notes. Note how the hoppy aromatics drift atop a big malt backbone, offering up wafts of caramel and a hint of gingerbread dough when combined with the spicy hops. Pine, orange rind, white grapefruit all come to mind. Quite mouthfilli...

The good Friar needs a good swirling to whip up the hefty sediment at the bottom of the glass—but you want to add that sediment to your glass when pouring to get the stylistically-appropriate look and full flavor characteristics that the brewer intended for this beer. A hard pour yields a cloudy butterscotch-colored beer capped by a frothy white head. On the nose we get a traditional Belgian Wit aroma: heavy on the coriander and orange peel notes...